Wildcats insider: Early sets career milestone with Davidson

When Huntersville native Hannah Early first began playing for the Davidson women’s basketball team, putting her name in the record books wasn’t something she thought about.

Yet in her third full season, that’s where Early finds herself.

Early, a 2011 Hopewell High graduate, passed the 1,000-point mark in career scoring during the Wildcats’ 60-49 loss to Massachusetts in an Atlantic 10 game on Feb. 18 in Amherst, Mass.

Early finished with a team-high 18 points in that game, and became the 17th player in Davidson women’s basketball history to hit the 1,000-point mark.

“It was definitely something that was always a goal of mine,” Early said. “But I didn’t really look toward personal achievement. I really just wanted to help the team whatever way I could.

“My game has always been offense. I’ve tried to work and be a better defensive player, but offense has always been my game, so I knew this was going to happen eventually.”

Early also became the fifth player in as many years to hit the 1,000-point mark. Her current total of 1,024 career points (through games of Feb. 21) has Early tied with 2004 grad Ashley Hallsted for 15th on the Wildcats’ career scoring list.

Yet Early’s career with Davidson got off to a rocky start. She played just three games her freshman season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her knee, and was forced to redshirt.

But Early came back the next year, playing in all 35 games and averaging 5.9 points per game. She became a starter during the Wildcats’ 2013-2014 season, averaging 13.3 points per game and leading the team in 3-pointers with 63.

This season, Early has led Davidson in scoring at 14.2 points per game, with 24 games scoring in double figures. She’s also set a single-season record for 3-pointers made with 67.

This season has been tougher than most for the Wildcats, who have been making the adjustment from playing in the Southern Conference to the A-10.

But with the A-10 tournament beginning Wednesday in Richmond, Va., Early sees the move as a positive for Davidson’s women’s program.

“People know that the A-10 is pretty competitive on the men’s side,” Early said. “They don’t know it’s basically the same for the women. There’s a lot of hard competition and we’re learning from it. Things can only go up from here.”

Dalby returns to Wildcats staff

Greg Dalby, a former assistant coach with Davidson’s men’s soccer team, has returned to the Wildcats’ program after a three-year absence.

Dalby, who coached at Davidson for two seasons in 2010-2011, has spent the past three years as an assistant coach at Notre Dame. While there, he helped the Fighting Irish to a 46-10-11 record, two conference titles and the 2013 NCAA championship.

Dalby is a Notre Dame graduate, twice earning All-American honors in starting 88 games over four seasons. During his playing days, the Fighting Irish won the Big East title in 2003-2004, and qualified for the NCAA tournament all four years.

After graduating from Notre Dame, Dalby spent six years playing professional soccer, including two years with Belgium’s Royal Club Sporting Charleroi in 2007-2008 and two years with Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids in 2008-2009. He also spent time with the USL Pro’s Charlotte Eagles.

Men’s soccer spring schedule

Davidson’s men’s soccer team, coming off a 10-win season last fall, will play a seven-game spring schedule beginning in mid-March.

The Wildcats, who went 10-2-6 with wins over NCAA champion Virginia and Duke, opens their spring slate March 12 against USL Pro franchise Charlotte Independence at Alumni Soccer Stadium.

Davidson also has home games March 15 against former Wildcats players in an alumni game, and March 22 against Queens. The Wildcats have road games against Winthrop and South Carolina on March 28 in Rock Hill; April 11 at Clemson; and April 18 against UNC Charlotte at Transamerica Stadium.

Lankiewicz named top swimmer at A-10 meet

Davidson swimmer Elise Lankiewicz was named the most outstanding swimmer at the Atlantic 10 championships, held Feb. 18-21 in Geneva, Ohio.

Lankiewicz, a sophomore, won three individual titles and swam legs on three winning relay teams for the Wildcats, who finished fourth in their inaugural appearance at the A-10 meet.

Lankiewicz won the women’s 500-, 200- and 100-yard freestyle titles, and swam on Davidson’s winning women’s 800-, 400- and 200-yard freestyle relay teams.

This story was originally published March 1, 2015 at 7:00 PM with the headline "Wildcats insider: Early sets career milestone with Davidson."